I am working with MySQL 4.1.3, previously using 4.0.something, and developing Coldfusion MX 6.1 apps (running Windows XP Pro). When I was using the previous MySQL version, I could create a new datasource in Coldfusion to use just fine using the user/pass I set up with the MySQL server. Since I upgraded, I cannot log connect using the same user/pass, or root, however I can log in using admin, which at the current moment has no password. The error I get is:

[]java.sql.SQLException: Communication failure during handshake. Is there a server running on localhost:3306?
The root cause was that: java.sql.SQLException: Communication failure during handshake. Is there a server running on localhost:3306?

I can connect thru the shell just fine using any user/pass. The port is open as well. I am running a firewall, however I have opened the ports necessary, and, as stated above, it was working just fine above. I also tried to update the JDBC connectors, however I am not sure that that was entirely successful (the upgrade instructions said place the .jar file into a specific directory, then didnt say anything else about it).

Did you extract the .jar file? I'm not sure that's even necessary, but I figured I'd ask.

__________________Please don't PM me asking for solutions outside the scope of a thread.
Keeping all responses in a thread stands to help others who come along later,
which is after all what this forum's all about.

I extracted the the mysql-connection-java-3.0.14-production-bin.jar file from the archive I downloaded from MySQL.com into C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_04\lib\ext like the installation instructions said:

Setting the CLASSPATH (For Standalone Use)

Once you have un-archived the distribution archive, you can install the driver in one of two ways: Either copy the "com" and "org" subdirectories and all of their contents to anywhere you like, and put the directory holding the "com" and "org" subdirectories in your classpath, or put mysql-connector-java-[version]-bin.jar in your classpath, either by adding the FULL path to it to your CLASSPATH enviornment variable, or by copying the .jar file to $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext. If you are going to use the driver with the JDBC DriverManager, you would use "com.mysql.jdbc.Driver" as the class that implements java.sql.Driver.

Please correct me if I am wrong in just doing this and if I must do more.

Coldfusion does not require a connection string in the code. It has a portion of it called the Coldfusion Administrator, in which I can create a connection to a datasource. It has the following fields:

Hmmm, I don't know. What do you think about my moving this over to the Cold Fusion forum, where CFM developers might spot it and be able to help? Since you can connect from the shell, it doesn't look like it's a mysql issue.

Hy. I'm having the same problem as GhstBer with MySQL 4.1.3 and ColdFusion MX 6.1 on Windows XP:

[]java.sql.SQLException: Communication failure during handshake. Is there a server running on localhost:3306?
The root cause was that: java.sql.SQLException: Communication failure during handshake. Is there a server running on localhost:3306?

Have you find an answer to that problem? Please let me know if so. Thanks.

Hy. I'm having the same problem as GhstBer with MySQL 4.1.3 and ColdFusion MX 6.1 on Windows XP:

[]java.sql.SQLException: Communication failure during handshake. Is there a server running on localhost:3306?
The root cause was that: java.sql.SQLException: Communication failure during handshake. Is there a server running on localhost:3306?

Have you find an answer to that problem? Please let me know if so. Thanks.

Read the docs on mysql 4.1. Says something about storing passwords differently, I believe. Might be the 'root' cause.